


An Exercise in Caution

by Necroprancer



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Ambiguous Universe, Angst, Bonding Moments, Bruce is trying, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Jason whump, M/M, Magical Bullshit, Memory Loss, Second Chances, THIS IS WHY WE DONT TOUCH THINGS, Teen Angst, Will add tags as I go, ambiguous timeline, but not really, no beta we die like men, technically
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-22
Updated: 2019-02-04
Packaged: 2019-08-27 14:55:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16704658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Necroprancer/pseuds/Necroprancer
Summary: An accident de-ages Jason back to a young teenager with all the wounds from the Joker and none of his memories of being older. The Bat family has to work together to take care of their new charge while trying to find a way to reverse the act before any more consequences can fall on him.But can Bruce can actually bring himself to go through with it and risk losing Jason all over again?Also, what happens when Jason starts to remember?(Summaries are not my strong point)





	1. This Is Why We Don't Touch Magical Relics

**Author's Note:**

> SO HEY. 
> 
> This is literally one of the first things I've written in about 4-5 years and, of course, it's self indulgent whump fiction. 
> 
> I regret nothing. 
> 
> PEOPLE MAY BE A LITTLE OOC. I AM DOING MY BEST TO KEEP TO THEIR CHARACTERIZATION, SO PLEASE FEEL FREE TO LEAVE ADVICE IF YOU SEE ME VEERING OFF. 
> 
> Also, since the New 52 launch and how screwy DC is in general with all the different medias, I'm playing a very ambiguous universe/timeline here based on my knowledge and headcanons for a lot of this. 
> 
> Anyway, on to the start!
> 
> Uh. Enjoy?

"Hey, Hood, any sightings yet?" 

"No, 'Wing, I fucking said that five minutes ago." Jason snarled into his comm, rolling his eyes at the grin he could _feel_ across the line, "You're a fucking asshole, you know that?" 

"Aw, Lil' Wing! You know I--"

" _Chatter_ " Nightwing was cut off at Batman's growl, making both of them click their jaws shut instantly. Jason snorted softly and shook himself, looking around a corner for any sign of their target. They had gotten the lead from Constantine a few days ago; some nutcase with powers she shouldn't be playing with and an amulet that let her do it anyway that she got her grubby hands on when Constantine wasn't looking. And now she was in Gotham and, apparently, about to start causing some serious chaos and destruction. 

Jason was going to shoot John in the _ass_ the next time he saw the man. 

"Fucker needs to take responsibility for his fuck ups, not just drop it on whoever usually runs the city…" He muttered under his breath as he continued into the warehouse. Batman had called the whole family in to scour the city for this chick; Nightwing was with him, looking through the industrial area on the outskirts of the East End, Robin and Batman downtown, Red Robin overseeing Old Gotham, and Black Bat was on her own in the docks. 

"She could be anywhere." Dick grumbled softly and Jason noticed when his elder dropped onto the roof of the nearby building through one of the windows of the one he was in. "Constantine didn't give us much info to go off of to figure out where she is." 

"No shit. Sometimes I wonder how the fuck he finds his ass in the morning." Jason's lip curled in a slight snarl; he had been done with this situation the moment B had called him in. They were trying this out; Jason being on-call for the family as long as he _tried_ to toe the line with Bruce's rules. It was a tentative peace so far, though most weeks still ended in an argument or five under their belts. "I'm not seeing anything, thou--" Jason cut himself off as he paused to listen more closely to the area around him. 

_Was that chanting?_

"Hood?" Nightwing must've caught on. "What is it?" 

"I hear something." Jason murmured softly, "Don't follow me in till I give the word. If I can get her down without her activating anything, I will." He crept towards the faint voice coming from the rear of the warehouse, using the shadows to cover his movements. As the voice got louder, he could clearly hear a woman repeating some sort of gibberish over and over, sounding more hysterical with each repeat of the refrain. Jason frowned at the sound, and at the odd, glowing light giving the corner he was approaching a creepy, ethereal atmosphere. It thickened around him as he got closer, reminding the man of the thick fog that rolled over Gotham in the winter before the snows hit. Holding back a shiver, Jason lifted his pistol and stepped around the last large container. 

A woman sat crumpled on the floor, rocking back and forth as she clutched something to her chest. Her clothes were dirty and torn and her pale hair stringy as it fell down her back and obscured her face. It was obvious that she had been on the run non-stop for quite some time. _Not even taking a bath. That's rank._ He thought, deciding to breath through his mouth to avoid the majority of the smell. He crept closer, shifting his grip on the gun. _Shouldn't even take more than one good hit to knock her cold and we can rope her up from there._

"Have you found anything? Hood?"

As he took that last step to get into position behind her, ignoring Nightwing's inquiries, he raised his pistol to deliver the blow. But the woman spun suddenly and shoved against his chest with a shriek of rage, battering at his armor with fists covered in dirt and blood. A necklace was wrapped tightly around one hand and it pulsed with the same, weird, foggy light as the rest in the area. 

"No! You will not! You will not! It is MINE! FOR NO ONE ELSE! YOU ARE NOT WORTHY!" 

"Shit! Calm the fuck down!" Jason snarled, dropping his pistol in favor of trying to grab at her wrists; he could barely feel her blows through his body armor. Even with as batshit crazy as she was, the woman was weak and probably starved. "Crazy bitch!" 

"Hood! What's going on?!"

Jason ignored Dick again, trying to get a firm grip on the woman and lock her into a hold, but the way she was flailing meant that even with his training, grabbing her was proving to be as easy as grabbing a damn fish in water. They grappled for a good minute before Jason finally locked his big hands around her arms and twisted the woman onto the ground, using his greater weight to press her down with her hands in one of his. 

"NO! NO! YOU WILL NOT! I WILL NOT LET YOU!" She screamed, thrashing uselessly against his hold. Jason snorted and activated his comm with his free hand. "IT IS MINE, IT IS MINE!"

"Yo, big bird, I got crazy and her fancy necklace in here. I'm not kidding about the crazy." He shook his head, relaxing a bit as she seemed to start tiring herself out. "I'll get her roped up. Just wait up there for B." 

"You got it. Let me know if you need me." 

"Whatever." Jason rolled his eyes as he listened to Bruce confirming his and Damian's approach from downtown. He didn't bother flicking it back off, as his hands would be busy with tying McNuts up and he wanted to be able to answer quickly if needed. The brunette moved to grab at the cuffs he kept on him, raising an eyebrow at the woman's sudden silence. "So, now you shut up, huh?" He muttered, shaking his head and slapping the restraints on. 

Now, just one last thing. 

"Hey, B, I'm gonna get that amulet out of her hand. You got the pouch, yeah?" The comm seemed to pause for a moment after his question. 

"I do. Do not touch the amulet, Red Hood." Batman ordered. "We don't know what it might do to one of us if we come into contact with it. It might do to you whatever it did to the woman, if she's as insane as you say." Jason groaned and rolled his eyes at the older man's paranoia. 

"Oh, come on. I have my gloves and armor on. I'm not coming into direct contact with it, and I don't trust her to not do something with it on her still. Besides, Constantine made sure all of us had those redirecting sygils on us tonight, yeah? I'll be fine." He hummed as he took her clenched fist, working it open finger by finger, unearthing more of that unnatural light. 

"Hood--" He could hear Batman gritting his teeth audibly in an effort not to start an argument so early in the week. Bruce knew as well as Jason did that the younger was going to do it whether he approved or not. "Fine. But don't touch the amulet itself. Only the chain." 

"You got it, B." Jason hummed, finally getting the chain unwrapped. He pulled the amulet itself from the woman's hand, and suddenly got hit with a wave of _wrong_. 

The foggy light suddenly became _blinding_ , bouncing off every reflective surface as if it were direct sunlight. The woman beneath him let out a long, keening wail, thrashing and pushing against his hold with renewed strength. Jason yelped and shielded his eyes from the light with one hand as he instinctively flung the piece away.

When the relic bounced against the concrete wall, a tinkling noise shot through the air, far too loud for as delicate as the sound should've been. The light died instantly and Jason had to blink spots from his vision. The woman went still. 

"Fuck, what the hell was that?" He gasped. He stared at the amulet across the floor, Batman's and Nightwing's demands for an update on what happened screaming in his ear. 

"Hood, _report_." Batman snarled and Jason jerked, blinking again. 

"Hey, yeah, so that was fucking weird. Got the amulet out and everything got real bright. Stopped when I threw it away though. I'm fine." 

"You sure?" Nightwing sounded distressed. "I'm coming down there, Hood. I don't like this." 

Jason grit his teeth. "No. Stay there, Nightwing. Fuck. I doubt anything else is gonna happen. Just wait up there for B." 

The silence from the comms was as about as judging as it could get, and when Dick answered again, his tone was clipped. "Fine. But if you go trying to touch it again, I'm coming down there." Jason groaned and rolled his eyes. 

"Fine. I'm not gonna touch it." 

He pushed himself to his feet, ignoring his motionless charge. Something about that amulet was bugging at him, and he only had about another five minutes before the Big Bat Himself came to take it. 

Jason wasn't going to touch it, he promised.

At least not with his hands. 

Snorting softly, the second Robin took a piece of pipe from nearby and approached the relic cautiously. It made no flashes, no sounds, nothing, as he stopped and waited, watching, for a full minute. Then, Jason took the pipe and slowly nudged the piece with the metal; still no reaction. 

_Did it fry itself when it freaked out?_ Jason's brow furrowed in confusion, maneuvering the chain over the end of the pipe and lifting carefully. He studied the amulet, but it didn't look to be very memorable at all. Just some piece of hammered metal. Jason huffed softly, annoyed with the lack of interest the piece had. 

But the longer he stared at it, the more he couldn't look away. There was an energy in the metal that Jason couldn't place. He blinked slowly and tilted his head, lifting the pipe further up to get a closer look at the amulet without touching it. It was like it was pulling at him. The voices in his ear dulled to a soft rumble as he continued staring into the dull finish of the pendant. He was so entranced that he didn't notice the way the pendant was rocking from his loose hold on the pipe until it bumped gently, lightly, against his nose. 

Suddenly, a _roar_ , like a storm tearing through the city, ripped through his head and another bright light flashed in front of his eyes; white and hot and searing. Pain ripped through his torso and head and his vision swam, black spotting across it. He could hear what sounded like the same gibberish the woman was chanting, along with the high, hysterical cackle of the Joker. The shadows in front of his eyes took a familiar shape, and horror coursed through Jason as he swore he saw the crowbar swinging it's way down towards his face once again. 

As it made contact, a burst of white-hot-cold _pain_ burst through his entire body. Jason didn't feel it as he crumpled to the ground, body beginning to flail uncontrollably as the crack of breaking bones filled the air around him, backed by the continuous, damned, _chanting_. He clutched at his head, at his ribs, as he shook and thrashed on the ground, seizing as the pain grew and grew, until it had become an unending wave. 

"Stop, stop, _STOP! PLEASE!_ " 

The shriek tore its way from Jason's throat, and then the boy knew no more.


	2. That's Gonna Take a Few More Bandaids

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternative title: PRETTY SURE THERE'S A GROUPON FOR GROUP THERAPY GOING ON RIGHT NOW. 
> 
> Or: the author is a bastard and likes hurting his favorite Robin way too much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY CRAP I'M ALIVE. 
> 
> Sorry about how long this took for me to bring up. I started a new job about two months ago as a cable technician and it's been crazy getting trained and starting out on my own. Also, I've been too goddamn tired. //faceplants on desk
> 
> BUT. Now that I'm more used to my new schedule, I should be updating more often! Hopefully. I'm not promising a posting schedule because I know myself. 
> 
> ANYWAY. Not entiiirely happy with this, but I was tired of sitting on it and wanted to get it done and out to y'all, even if it's a bit short and the ending kind of sucks. Have at it! 
> 
> (also, randomly: you'll start seeing some headcanons I have through this fic. Including tiny things about coloring and backgrounds!)

Bruce stood frozen as he hardly listened to the cacophony going on in his ear; Jason's screams were echoing through his head, blocking every other thought he might have had. It was only a second; but still too long before he burst into movement again. He ignored Damian as the boy raced after him, demanding to know what was happening. 

_No, no, no, no._ He screamed soundlessly, mouth working to form the words even if they wouldn't leave his head, _Not Jason, not again, not my boy._

He could vaguely make out Nightwing's cries for his brother through the white noise of his mind as he made the final leap onto the rooftop of the warehouse that the two were investigating. Robin was still following his father, trying to parse out what happened to his second eldest brother, while Bruce took no time in smashing open the skylight and rappelling down. 

It was pitch black inside of the warehouse; even the bright moonlight couldn't pierce through the shadows that saturated the building. Batman pushed through, flicking on the night vision filter in the cowl; but it still didn't help much. Batman kept a hand on Robin's shoulder when the boy stepped into his side, gritting his teeth. A movement to the right had Bruce snapping his head over, hand at his belt, as he strained to see through the unnatural darkness. 

"B?" Nightwing's voice carried through, desperate and thin, and Bruce dropped his hand as he turned his whole body towards the sound. "B, I can't find Hood. He was over in the far corner, but every time I get close, I can't seem to get close." 

Bruce swallowed back the panic that was building in his chest; he had to get to Jason. "It must be from whatever the amulet has done. Has Red Hood tried to call out at all?" He reached out and grasped until he felt a strong shoulder, bringing Dick close enough for him to see his eldest. The man was trembling under his hand and pale, still looking around desperately even as he spoke. 

"N-no. I haven't heard anything since the screaming. Any pings to his comms are coming back dead, too. Whatever the amulet did must've fried his ear piece." 

The older man turned on his heel towards the corner Nightwing had pointed towards and stalked forward, his head spinning again with thoughts of what he'd find when he made it over. Would Jason be unconscious? Bleeding? Would he even still be in this dimension? 

_Would Jason still be breathing?_

He shook his head, shoving the thoughts aside as he made his way further. Dick's observation was coming true; every time he got close to the corner that Jason's tracker last showed him at, the warehouse seemed to _shift_ away from him. 

"Jason?" He called, breaking out in a run towards the spot, bedamned the mystical bullshit trying to keep him from his _son_. "Jaylad! Answer me!" 

But there was only silence that responded. Eventually he stopped, fists clenched, as Nightwing and Robin caught up on either side of him. 

"See? It's like it keeps moving us." Dick's voice was low, frustrated.

Damian scoffed sharply and shook his head. "This is ridiculous, we should--" The youngest member was cut off when static sounded through the comms suddenly, "What?"

Dick put a finger to his comm, "What's going on?" He looked up at Bruce, and his guardian just knew that his eyes were wide behind the mask. Bruce shook his head and opened his mouth to answer, but a watery cough echoed in their ears.

 

"H-help, help me," Someone begged and Bruce felt his stomach turn to ice. _I know that voice._ "Help, it h-hurts." 

\--------

The tears burned his dry eyes, body shaking with tremors. Jason gasped out a long, broken whine as he tried to shift and a sharp burst ran through his ribs and hips; arms and back. Everywhere ached with red-hot fire and his head felt like it was going to explode any minute. His chest seized and shook as he began to cough, wet and harsh. It felt like molten lava coming up his throat as he choked and spluttered, his one good eye watching hazily as blood splattered on the concrete floor he was laying on. 

The cackling was absent, but Jason didn't trust it. There had been hours-long stretches where the Joker had been absent, only to come back and tear him apart all over again. 

It was also so, so cold compared to how sweltering the warehouse had been that morning; he must finally be losing feeling from the constant beatings. Jason couldn't find it in himself to be upset about that. Maybe that meant it was almost over; whether that meant he just wouldn't feel anything anymore and could live through the rest, or he'd just die, he didn't know. 

He also didn't really care at this point. 

Rolling onto his shoulder to try and prop himself up some, Jason tried to look around. But the loss of vision in one eye and the glassiness the rest of his vision had taken meant that he really couldn't see anything past the darkness surrounding him and the concrete below him. 

_Thanks, probable brain damage._ He thought, hysterically, _I needed another reminder of you._

When his eyes began to strain, Jason returned to his back and coughed again, closing his eyes. Fresh tears burned their way down and he hiccupped, jostling his ribs and pulling another cry out of his mouth. 

_Not so much tough shit now, are you, Todd?_  
_Couldn't even keep yourself from getting caught; good going, asshole._  
_You never deserved Robin, anyway. Maybe you should just die like this. Finish out the disappointment._

The voices circled and spun around his head like a group of demented guardian angels. If it hadn't been for his shattered forearms and tied wrists, Jason would have covered his head in some futile attempt to block them out. Instead, all he could do was cry harder and gasp for breath between sobs. He tried to shift again, but let out a sharp keen when he felt a shift in his legs, causing another bout of stabbing pain. 

When Jason pried his eyes open again, it was even darker and the air was steadily cooling. It must've been night, but he couldn't rememeber the nights ever getting this cold. It made the bruises and broken bones ache fiercely and draw another whine out of the Robin. 

"I'm sorry," He keened quietly, knowing that Bruce would never hear it, "I'm s-sorry, Bruce. Please--" A hiccup jostled his ribs and he shook, silent in his agony. The silence meant he heard a door slam open, getting a flinch and gasp from the teen. Jason stared blankly into the dark, wondering if this was the last time, or if someone else was going to take Joker's place this time. Boots slammed against the floor at a quick place and Jason braced himself for the first blow.

\----------

Bruce had slammed into the door leading to the rest of the warehouse, refusing to let the barrier keep him from his second son. He could still hear the boy keening and crying in his ear as he sprinted across the floor. The nightvision in his cowl allowed him to cut across and around the containers strewn across the level until he came upon the little body huddled against the concrete. 

" _Jay._ " He breathed as he skid to a stop, then immediately went onto his knees as he reached for the boy. "Jaylad, I'm here." Bruce swallowed hard at the keen and flinch his son let out as the older man gingerly peeled the domino off of his bruised and battered skin. With the mask out of the way, the built up tears sluiced down Jason's cheeks as cloudy turquoise eyes stared up at him in disbelief and heartbreaking relief. Jason shook with new sobs, clenching his eyes shut and trying to jerk towards Bruce's hands as the man reached to start untying him. 

Bruce felt his old, tired heart shatter further as he looked his little boy over; the injuries looked even worse with as stark and new as they were at this point and the sobs that kept coming, no matter how much they must hurt. Large hands were careful and gentle as he bundled the broken boy to his chest, standing and turning on his heel to storm out of the warehouse. 

"Nightwing, call Agent A. We have injured." He barked into his comm, grimacing as the boy in his arms flinched at the rough tone. 

"What the hell is going on, B?" Dick's voice came through, high and stressed. "Is that Ja--Hood? Why does he-"

"Don't, Nightwing. We'll talk at the cave." Bruce growled, clutching Jason closer to his chest. "I'm taking him to the Batmobile." 

"I--" Dick audibly swallowed, but seemed to give up after a long moment of silence. "Fine. Alright. Nightwing out."

Bruce didn't answer as his eldest must've logged off the comms to do as he asked. Instead, he turned his attention back to the boy in his arms, cataloguing what injuries he could immediately see, now that they were in the light of the street, as he made his way towards the Batmobile parked a few blocks away. He had to swallow down rage and bile at the gashes carved through Jason's uniform and obvious broken bones and didn't say a thing as the Robin shivered and clutched at him with surprising strength. 

"B-bruce?" His son's voice was gravely and hoarse; probably from screaming or crying for so long. Jason's eyes were open and Bruce could see the unevenness of his pupils and the worrying glassiness. 

"I'm here, son." 

"I-it's really you?" Bruce's heart clenched at the pleading tone the whisper had. 

_Had Jason been begging for me to be there when this happened? Or did he think I wouldn't of come at all?_ He thought desperately, but refused to go down that train of thought further while the boy was here in his arms. Instead, he shifted Jason as gently as he could as they came to the vehicle and Bruce started to place Jason in the back seat. 

Ideally, he'd rather keep him in the passenger, where he could keep a hand on him, but he refused to jostle his son more than he already had. He gave Jason a shaky smile as he settled him down. 

"Yes," He breathed, smoothing his hand over Jason's curls as gently as he possibly could, "It's really me. Let's go home, Jay." He pulled away and climbed into the driver's seat, taking off towards the manor as fast he dared. He couldn't help but keep checking the back seat, making sure that Jason was actually there and still breathing. Bruce swallowed every time he was proven right and shuddered, hands clenching on the wheel as he neared the cave, Alfred and Dick already waiting at the entrance when it opened.

"I'll never let them hurt you again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Jason:** *hurting, crying*  
>  **Bruce:** MY BABY.  
>  **Dick:** WHAT IS GOING ON. WHY IS JASON CRYING AND SMALL. THAT'S MY LITTLE BROTHER.

**Author's Note:**

>  **Jason** : I'm gonna touch the thing.  
>  **Literally Everyone** : JASON NO  
>  **Jason** : Jason YES  
>  **Jason, after touching the thing** : Fml


End file.
